Information processing system, information disclosing server, and portal server

ABSTRACT

An information processing system that can create a page easily by the use of contents disclosed from information disclosing servers. A contents storing section stores contents to be provided. In this information processing system, an additional information storing section stores additional information consisting of information indicating the respective attributes of contents stored in the contents storing section and relations among the contents. An additional information obtaining section obtains additional information from an information disclosing server. An additional information storage section stores additional information obtained. An editing section edits additional information stored in the additional information storage section according to an administrator&#39;s intention or a user&#39;s taste. A display data creating section creates display data for displaying a page from additional information stored in the additional information storage section at the request of a client. A sending section sends display data created to a client which made a request. A send requesting section requests to send predetermined display data. A receiving section receives display data sent. A display outputting section outputs received display data to a display device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] (1) Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to an information processing apparatusand, more particularly, to an information processing apparatus forobtaining information from a server storing attribute informationindicating the attribute and logical structure of each piece ofinformation or each service which can be provided and for providing itto a client.

[0003] (2) Description of the Related Art

[0004] A Web page which a user first accesses to connect to the Internetis sometimes referred to as a portal site.

[0005] A portal site is usually a search engine, which provides servicesto retrieve information scattered on the Internet by a keyword.

[0006] Such a portal site collects information disbursed on the Internetby the use of, for example, a search robot, and creates a database onthe basis of it. When a keyword is given by a user, the portal siteretrieves the appropriate information from the database and provides itto the user.

[0007] In conventional methods, a database is created from informationon the Internet by associating and storing the uniform resource locator(URL) of a page described in the hypertext markup language (HTML) andmeta-information (keyword, for example) described on that page, whichare obtained by a search robot. When a keyword is given by a user,meta-information corresponding to the keyword is retrieved and themeta-information and URL obtained are returned as retrieval results.

[0008] By the way, on a portal server currently used, display iscustomized according to users. Display contents can be customizedaccording to users or groups and only contents in which each user isinterested can be selectively displayed.

[0009] With a portal page currently used, however, the administrator ofa portal site needs to build up a system in which display can becustomized according to users. This involves troublesome work.Furthermore, if the amount of information to which reference is beingmade increases or if information to which reference is being made ischanged, work to cope with this must be performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In order to address such problems, the present invention wasmade. In other words, an object of the present invention is to providean information processing apparatus that can easily edit and processinformation being an object of distributed management.

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, an information processingsystem comprising an information disclosing server for disclosingcontents and a portal server for obtaining information regardingcontents from the information disclosing server and for creating displaydata provided to a client is provided. The information disclosing serverin this information processing system comprises contents storing meansfor storing the contents and additional information storing means forstoring additional information indicating the respective attributes ofcontents to be disclosed of contents stored in the contents storingmeans and relations among the contents to be disclosed. The portalserver in this information processing system comprises additionalinformation obtaining means for obtaining additional information storedin the additional information storing means in the informationdisclosing server, additional information storage means for storingadditional information obtained by the additional information obtainingmeans, display data creating means for obtaining, in the case of arequest having been made from the client, the appropriate additionalinformation from the additional information storage means and forcreating display data, and sending means for sending display datacreated by the display data creating means to the client which made arequest.

[0012] The above and other objects, features and advantages of thepresent invention will become apparent from the following descriptionwhen taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings whichillustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention by way ofexample.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013]FIG. 1 is a view for describing the operating principle of thepresent invention.

[0014]FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of information stored in theadditional information storage means in the portal server shown in FIG.1.

[0015]FIG. 3 is a view showing the configuration of an embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0016]FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing relations among pieces ofsoftware in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

[0017]FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of attribute informationpossessed by all contents.

[0018]FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of attribute informationpossessed by general contents.

[0019]FIG. 7(A) is a view showing an example of attribute informationpossessed by form access contents and FIG. 7(B) is a view showing anexample of their arguments.

[0020]FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of attribute informationpossessed by an event.

[0021]FIG. 9(A) is a view showing an example of attribute informationpossessed by an applet and FIG. 9(B) is a view showing an example of itsargument information.

[0022]FIG. 10(A) is a view showing an example of attribute informationpossessed by a parameter object and FIG. 10(B) is a view showing anexample of attribute information possessed by an object for forms.

[0023]FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of information to bedisclosed by an information disclosing server.

[0024]FIG. 12 is a view showing an example of an additional informationXML document.

[0025]FIG. 13 is a flow chart for describing an example of a process forregistering an information disclosing server with a portal server.

[0026]FIG. 14 is a view showing an example of a collection policy.

[0027]FIG. 15 is a view showing an example of a condition descriptionXML document.

[0028]FIG. 16 is a flow chart for describing an example of a process forcollecting information from an information disclosing server.

[0029]FIG. 17 is a flow chart for describing in detail the “contentscollecting process” shown in FIG. 16.

[0030]FIG. 18 is a flow chart for describing in detail the “additionalinformation collecting process by agent adapter” shown in FIG. 17.

[0031]FIG. 19 is a view for describing an example of a folder created bya portal server which received additional information.

[0032]FIG. 20 is an example of a screen for editing a folder andcontents.

[0033]FIG. 21 is a view showing an example of a screen displayed whenthe Template Property button shown in FIG. 20 is operated.

[0034]FIG. 22 is a view showing an example of a screen displayed whenthe Perform button is operated on the screen shown in FIG. 21.

[0035]FIG. 23 is a view showing an example of a screen displayed whenthe Customize Information button is operated on the screen shown in FIG.20.

[0036]FIG. 24 is a view showing an example of a screen displayed when auser logs in a portal server from a client.

[0037]FIG. 25 is a flow chart for describing an example of a procedureperformed until a top page is displayed.

[0038]FIG. 26 is a view showing an example of a folder to be displayed.

[0039]FIG. 27 is an example of a top page displayed first when a user ofthe folder shown in FIG. 26 logs in.

[0040]FIG. 28 is a view showing an example of a template executed whenthe folder “All-companies” shown in FIG. 19 is accessed.

[0041]FIG. 29 is a view showing an example of a page created when thetemplate shown in FIG. 28 is executed.

[0042]FIG. 30 is a display example of the page shown in FIG. 29.

[0043]FIG. 31 is an example of a page created when the hot text “Tokyo”is designated on the screen shown in FIG. 30.

[0044]FIG. 32 is a display example of the page shown in FIG. 31.

[0045]FIG. 33 is an example of a page created when the hot text “ACompany” is designated on the screen shown in FIG. 32.

[0046]FIG. 34 is a display example of the page shown in FIG. 33.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0047] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[0048]FIG. 1 is a view for describing the operating principle of thepresent invention. In FIG. 1, an information disclosing server 1discloses contents to a client 5. A portal server 3 obtains informationregarding contents from the information disclosing server 1 and providesit to each client. The client 5 obtains display data created by theportal server 3 and displays it.

[0049] The information disclosing server 1 comprises contents storingmeans 1 a and additional information storing means 1 b.

[0050] The contents storing means la stores contents consisting ofinformation, services, or the like.

[0051] The additional information storing means 1 b stores additionalinformation indicating the respective attributes of contents to bedisclosed of contents stored in the contents storing means 1 a andrelations among the contents to be disclosed.

[0052] The portal server 3 comprises additional information obtainingmeans 3 a, additional information storage means 3 b, display datacreating means 3 c, sending means 3 d, and editing means 3 e.

[0053] The additional information obtaining means 3 a obtains additionalinformation stored in the additional information storing means 1 b inthe information disclosing server 1 by a predetermined method.

[0054] The additional information storage means 3 b stores additionalinformation obtained by the additional information obtaining means 3 a.

[0055] If a request is made from a predetermined client, the displaydata creating means 3 c obtains the appropriate additional informationfrom the additional information storage means 3 b and creates displaydata.

[0056] The sending means 3 d sends display data created by the displaydata creating means 3 c to the client which made a request.

[0057] The editing means 3 e edits a folder which is created in theadditional information storage means 3 b and which stores additionalinformation, a template (which will be described in detail later), andits arguments.

[0058] The client 5 comprises send requesting means 5 a, receiving means5 b, and display outputting means 5 c.

[0059] The send requesting means 5 a requests the portal server 3 tosend predetermined display data.

[0060] The receiving means 5 b receives display data sent from theportal server 3 as a result of a request from the send requesting means5 a.

[0061] The display outputting means 5 c outputs display data received bythe receiving means 5 b.

[0062] Now, operation in FIG. 1 will be described.

[0063] The administrator of the information disclosing server 1 storescontents to be disclosed in the contents storing means 1 a and storesthe respective attributes of contents to be disclosed of the storedcontents and relations among the contents to be disclosed in theadditional information storing means 1 b as additional information.

[0064] The additional information obtaining means 3 a in the portalserver 3 accesses the information disclosing server 1 at predeterminedintervals and obtains additional information stored in the additionalinformation storing means 1 b. The additional information storage means3 b creates folders corresponding to the logical structure of contentsand stores the attributes of contents in each folder.

[0065]FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of information stored in theadditional information storage means 3 b in the portal server 3. In thisexample, information obtained from the information disclosing server 1is stored under the folder “Contents” and information necessary fordisplaying information obtained on the client side (information forcreating display data) is stored under the folder “Page”.

[0066] Information obtained from the information disclosing server 1 isstored in the folder “Server A” directly under the folder “Contents.” Inthis example, folders A, B, and C which store contents A, B, and Crespectively are stored. This hierarchical structure is generated fromlogical structure possessed by additional information stored on theinformation disclosing server 1.

[0067] Under the folder “Page,” information for customizing, in the caseof information stored in the folder “Contents” being displayed on adisplay device 6 for the client 5, its format and contents according tousers is stored. To be concrete, information regarding the default stateprovided by the portal server 3 is stored in the folder “Default.” Underthe folder “Group,” information for customizing according to groups isstored. For example, if a user who belongs to group A accesses, a pagewill be created according to the contents of the folder “Group A.”Furthermore, the folder “Individual” stores information for customizingdisplay contents according to individuals.

[0068] Each folder stores attributes regarding its contents, informationfor designating a template being a model used to create a page fromcontents, and arguments provided to a template. The portal server 3creates a page (display data) by providing arguments to a templatedesignated and executing it.

[0069] The administrator or a user of the portal server 3 can change theformat of a page displayed on the client 5 side by editing, via theediting means 3 e, a folder, template, and argument stored in theadditional information storage means 3 b.

[0070] For example, the administrator of the portal server 3 can createnew folder D under folder C, change the order of folders, or remove anunnecessary folder. Moreover, he/she can create a shortcut so thatreference to another folder is made from a folder. He/she can edit notonly a folder but also a template associated with each folder and anargument stored in folders. By doing so, he/she can change displaycontents. For example, by changing a template to use, he/she can displaycontents in the form of a list or in divided frames. He/she can changedisplay contents by editing an argument.

[0071] A user of the portal server 3 can also edit display contents forhis/her own folder in the same way that was described above. Forexample, user “Yamada” can create a new folder under his/her own folder“Yamada,” or refer to the contents of another folder by creating ashortcut. Furthermore, he/she can change display contents by editing atemplate or argument.

[0072] Such editing work can be done easily by the use of a graphicaluser interface (GUI) provided by the editing means 3 e.

[0073] By performing the above processes, preparations on the portalserver 3 will be completed. In this state of things, it is assumed thata predetermined user has logged in via the client 5. Then the portalserver 3 performs an authentication process. If he/she is a true user,then the portal server 3 confirms whether he/she possesses a personalfolder. For example, if user “Yamada” has accessed, the folder “Yamada”exists, so the portal server 3 judges that his/her personal folderexists. If his/her personal folder does not exist, then the portalserver 3 judges whether a folder for his/her group exists. If it doesnot exist, then the default folder is judged a target folder.

[0074] The portal server 3 obtains a template associated with theappropriate folder and an argument and creates a page. Contentsthemselves are stored in the information disclosing server 1, so auniform resource locator (URL), for example, is embedded in a portionwhich refers to the contents.

[0075] The page created is sent via the sending means 3 d to the client5 which made a request.

[0076] In the client 5, the receiving means 5 b receives the page sent,obtains contents from the information disclosing server 1 at need, andprovides them to the display outputting means 5 c to cause them to beoutput on the display device 6.

[0077] As described above, in an information processing system accordingto the present invention, the information disclosing server 1 storesadditional information indicating the attributes and logical structureof contents and the portal server 3 obtains this additional informationand creates a folder corresponding to it. The administrator or each userof the portal server 3 therefore can edit a page easily.

[0078] Furthermore, a template is assigned to each folder and anargument is stored in that folder. As a result, the contents of a pagedisplayed can be changed easily by selecting a template or changing anargument.

[0079] Moreover, only attribute information is obtained and stored. Thiswill prevent network congestion and enable to reduce memory capacity,compared with a case where all pieces of information are obtained andstored.

[0080] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described withreference to FIG. 3.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 3, an information processing system according tothe present invention comprises clients 10 and 11, networks 12 and 14, aportal server 13, and information disclosing servers 15 through 17. Theconfiguration of the clients 10 and 11 and information disclosingservers 15 through 17 is the same as that of the portal server 13, sodescriptions of them will be omitted.

[0082] The portal server 13 comprises a central processing unit (CPU) 13a, a read only memory (ROM) 13 b, a random access memory (RAM) 13 c, ahard disk drive (HDD) 13 d, and interfaces (I/F) 13 e and 13 f.

[0083] The CPU 13 a controls each section of the apparatus and carriesout various operations, in compliance with programs stored in the HDD 13d.

[0084] The ROM 13 b stores basic programs executed by the CPU 13 a.

[0085] The RAM 13 c temporarily stores programs being executed by theCPU 13 a and data being operated by the CPU 13 a.

[0086] The HDD 13 d stores programs executed by the CPU 13 a andinformation obtained from the information disclosing servers 15 through17.

[0087] The I/F 13 e performs data protocol or format conversion when itsends data to and receives data from the clients 10 and 11 via thenetwork 12.

[0088] The I/F 13 f performs data protocol or format conversion when itsends data to and receives data from the information disclosing servers15 through 17 via the network 14.

[0089]FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing relations among pieces ofsoftware in the above embodiment.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 4, a browser 30 or HTML editor 31 is implementedon the clients 10 and 11.

[0091] A database 32 and agent 33 are implemented on the portal server13. The database 32 stores page information 32 a and contentsinformation 32 b.

[0092] Agent adapters (AA) 34 through 37, online analytical processing(OLAP) 38, data mining 39, text mining 40, a general Web site 41, forms42, a relational database (RDB) 43, and a document 44 are implemented onthe information disclosing servers 15 through 17.

[0093] The OLAP 38 analyzes aggregate data stored in the forms 42 or RDB43 in an arbitrary way.

[0094] The data mining 39 finds out useful information from among thepieces of data stored in the RDB 43.

[0095] The text mining 40 summarizes and outputs a valuable notion orknowledge from among the desired pieces of text data stored in thedocument 44.

[0096] The general Web site 41 holds a document described in HTML.

[0097] The AAs 34 through 37 store a document (additional informationXML document) in which additional information indicating the respectiveattributes of contents and relations among the contents, which werecollected by the OLAP 38 etc., is described in the extended markuplanguage (XML), and provide it at the request of the agent 33.

[0098] The agent 33 obtains an additional information XML document fromeach of the AAs 34 through 37 at predetermined dates and hours.

[0099] The contents information 32 b stored in the database 32 containsadditional information XML documents obtained from the informationdisclosing servers 15 through 17 by the agent 33.

[0100] The page information 32 a contains information regardingcustomization etc. performed when a page is created from the contentsinformation 32 b.

[0101] The browser 30 is used by a user to access the portal server 13,to make a request to send a page, and to display information obtained.

[0102] The HTML editor 31 is used by a user to edit the contents of apage displayed.

[0103] Now, operation in the above embodiment will be described.Descriptions of the operation of a system will be given in the followingorder:

[0104] (1) Type of information stored in the information disclosingservers

[0105] (2) Procedure for registering an information disclosing serverwith the portal server

[0106] (3) Procedure used by the portal server for collectinginformation from the information disclosing servers

[0107] (4) Procedure on the portal server for editing a page

[0108] (5) Procedure for accessing the portal server from a client

[0109] First, Section 1, “Type of information stored in the informationdisclosing servers” will be described.

[0110] (1) Type of Information Stored in the Information DisclosingServers

[0111] The information disclosing servers 15 through 17 store thefollowing information:

[0112] (A) General contents

[0113] (B) Form access contents

[0114] (C) Event

[0115] (D) Applet

[0116] (E) Parameter object

[0117] First, information possessed by all contents will be described.

[0118]FIG. 5 is an example of attribute information possessed by allcontents. As shown in FIG. 5, contents possess Name, Type,Representation, Comment, and Update Time as attribute information. Nameis an identifier for identifying contents. Type indicates the type ofcontents (HTML, applet, etc.). Representation indicates therepresentation of contents in HTML. Comment is a description etc. ofcontents. Update Time indicates the date and hour when contents wereupdated.

[0119] Then “(A) General contents” will be described.

[0120] General contents are the commonest contents and can be accessedby a URL. As shown in FIG. 6, general contents possess URL, Caption, andExplanatory Sentence as attribute information. URL is an address used todesignate a location where a resource is stored in the case of accessinga page. Caption indicates a character string (hot text) etc. linked.Explanatory Sentence is a description etc. of contents.

[0121] Then “(B) Form access contents” will be described.

[0122] Form access contents are contents which open when a user hasentered information in a form. A search service page is an example ofform access contents. Their default representation format is a form andentry fields designated by arguments are arranged in order in a form. Asshown in FIG. 7(A), these form access contents possess URL and Argumentas attribute information. As shown in FIG. 7(B), an argument consists ofArgument Name, Type, and Defined Value. Argument Name is the name of anargument. Type indicates the type (TEXT, for example) of an argument.Defined Value indicates a defined value for an argument. With the formaccess contents, entry history can be retained according to users.

[0123] “(C) Event” will now be described.

[0124] An event is generated in a special format at a site which aninformation provider manages. As shown in FIG. 8, an event possessesClassification, Server, Key, Contents of Notice, Expire, Forced Mode,and Notice Destination as attribute information.

[0125] Classification consists of an alarm, update, status, a userdefinition, and the like. Server is a server which issues an event. Keyis an identifier for specifying an event. Contents of Notice indicateswhether the contents of notice are a text or flag. Expire indicates thedate and hour when an event becomes invalid. If a user does not make aselection, Forced Mode indicates whether notice is required. NoticeDestination is a list of users or groups to which notice is sent.

[0126] “(D) Applet” will now be described.

[0127] An applet is different from other contents in usage. It isintended that other contents should be shown to a user without beingchanged, while an applet is used by an information intermediary as atool for creating his/her own page. As shown in FIG. 9(A), attributeinformation possessed by an applet consists of Class, Width, Height, andArgument information. Class is the name of a class file for an applet.Width indicates the width of an applet displayed. Height indicates theheight of an applet displayed. Argument Information is informationregarding an argument and is provided according to the number ofarguments.

[0128]FIG. 9(B) shows an example of Argument Information. It consists ofName, Value, and Comment. Name is the name of an argument. Value is thevalue of an argument. Comment is a comment, such as a description, aboutan argument.

[0129] “(E) Parameter object” will now be described.

[0130] A parameter object is one used as an argument for an applet etc.As shown in FIG. 10(A), a parameter object possesses Applicable Object,Name, Value, and Comment as attribute information. Applicable Object isa list of applet objects which can use the object in question as anargument. Name is the name of an argument. Value is the value of anargument. Comment is a description etc. of an object.

[0131] A dedicated object for forms is provided. FIG. 10(B) shows anexample of information possessed by this object. As shown in FIG. 10(B),an object for forms possesses Acquisition Format, Version Number, andUpdate Time for Each Version as attribute information. AcquisitionFormat is a file format. Version Number indicates the number of aversion which can be acquired. Update Time for Each Version indicatesthe date and hour when each version was updated.

[0132] (2) Procedure for Registering an Information Disclosing Serverwith the Portal Server

[0133] The portal server 13 accesses an information disclosing serverwhich was registered in advance, and collects additional information.Therefore, if a new information disclosing server is added, it must beregistered.

[0134] As a first step in the registration process, an XML documentwhich describes the attribute and logical structure of contents to bedisclosed must be created and registered. XML is widely used, so thereason for using an XML document is to make it easy to create additionalinformation. A method for creating additional information will now bedescribed by the use of a concrete example.

[0135]FIG. 11 shows an example of information to be disclosed by aninformation disclosing server. In this example, the folder“All-companies” stores the folder “Classified-by-region” and thecontents “All-companies anticipated profit and loss.” The folder“Classified-by-region” stores the folder “Classified-by-company” and thecontents “Classified-by-region anticipated profit and loss.”Furthermore, the folder “Classified-by-company” stores the contents“Classified-by-company visiting records.” Now, information associatedwith the above information and the respective details of the contentswill be described.

[0136] 1) Sales Data (Information)

[0137] Sales data is numerical data for calculatingclassified-by-company anticipated profit and loss orclassified-by-region anticipated profit and loss and is stored in adatabase. This information itself is not managed as contentsinformation. Therefore, relations between this information and attributeinformation, other pieces of information, and services are not managed.

[0138] 2) Visiting Diary (Information)

[0139] A visiting diary is document data and records the history of thevisits of customers (companies). This information itself is not managedas contents information. Therefore, relations between this informationand attribute information, other pieces of information, and services arenot managed.

[0140] 3) All-companies Profit and Loss Anticipating Applet (Service)

[0141] This applet performs OLAP for calculating all-companiesanticipated profit and loss with sales data described in 1) as input anddisplays the results as forms. Information (database name, for example)for accessing a target database is described in the applet. Attributeinformation and related information are as follows:

Attribute Information

[0142] Name: all-companies profit and loss anticipating APPLET

[0143] Type: APPLET

[0144] Class: soneki.zensha

[0145] Width: 300

[0146] Height: 200

[0147] Argument information: no argument

[0148] Comment: display all-companies anticipated profit and loss withsales data as input

[0149] Update time: 04-01-2000

Related Information

[0150] classified-by-region profit and loss anticipating applet as achild

[0151] 4) Classified-by-region Profit and Loss Anticipating Applet(Service)

[0152] This applet performs OLAP for calculating classified-by-regionanticipated profit and loss with a region name, which is clicked(selected) when 3) is displayed, and sales data described in 1) as inputand displays the results as forms. Information (database name, forexample) for accessing a target database is described in the applet.Attribute information and related information are as follows:

Attribute Information

[0153] Name: classified-by-region profit and loss anticipating APPLET

[0154] Type: APPLET

[0155] Class: soneki.chikubetsu

[0156] Width: 300

[0157] Height: 200

[0158] Argument information:

[0159] Name: region name

[0160] Value:

[0161] Comment: designate a region name

[0162] Comment: display classified-by-region anticipated profit and losswith sales data as input

[0163] Update time: 04-01-2000

Related Information

[0164] Classified-by-company visiting record displaying applet as achild

[0165] 5) Classified-by-company Visiting Record Displaying Applet(Service)

[0166] This applet searches documents for the classified-by-companyvisiting record with a company name, which is clicked (selected) when 3)is displayed, and a visiting diary described in 2) as input and displaysthe results. Information (database name and file name, for example) foraccessing a visiting diary is described in the applet. Attributeinformation and related information are as follows:

Attribute Information

[0167] Name: classified-by-company visiting record displaying APPLET

[0168] Type: APPLET

[0169] Class: soneki.houmon.kaisha

[0170] Width: 300

[0171] Height: 200

[0172] Argument information:

[0173] Name: company name

[0174] Value:

[0175] Comment: designate a company name

[0176] Comment: display a classified-by-company visiting record with acompany name as input

[0177] Update time: 04-01-2000

Related Information

[0178] none

[0179]FIG. 12 shows an additional information XML document created bythe administrator of an information disclosing server on the basis ofthe above contents.

[0180] As shown in FIG. 12, parent-child relationships between contentsare described by logical structure among tags in the XML document. Suchan XML document is created by the administrator of an informationdisclosing server and is stored in its predetermined folder.

[0181] Such an XML document can be created automatically by a programetc. For example, the method of performing a procedure shown in FIG. 18,which will be described later, or the method of referring to informationstored in the table of contents (TOC) of a database and converting itslogical structure to an XML document may be used.

[0182] After an XML document being created and registered, a process forregistering an information disclosing server with the portal server 13will be performed in compliance with a flow chart shown in FIG. 13. As aresult, the following procedure will be performed.

[0183] [S1] Set definition information regarding the informationdisclosing servers. This definition information includes a server name,agent adapter names, a server function name, a data record format on theserver, a user-registered dictionary (ontology) name, agent adapternames, and an input-output interface to the agent adapter.

[0184] [S2] Translate the definitions set in step S1 and convert theresults to information which an agent system can understand (agentsystem information).

[0185] [S3] Start the agent adapters.

[0186] [S4] Register definition information regarding the agent adapterwith the agent 33. In this case, whether there are agent adapters withthe same name, for example, is also checked.

[0187] After the registration, an information collection policy for theagent is set.

[0188] The agent collects additional information on the basis ofinformation registered in advance (information collection policy), sothe administrator of the portal server must create and register aninformation collection policy in advance.

[0189] Information collected is stored in a designated folder on theportal server. Therefore, by setting a collection policy for thisfolder, a method for collecting information can be designated.

[0190]FIG. 14 is a view showing an example of an information collectionpolicy. In this example, Contents Type, Collect All Information, andCollect Change Information are shown as set items. Contents Typedesignates the type of contents to be collected. A plurality of contentscan be designated. Collect All Information designates the date and hourwhen all pieces of information are collected. Collect Change Informationdesignates the date and hour when change information is collected.

[0191] Change information to be collected is as follows:

[0192] (A) Creation of a new folder

[0193] (B) Removal of a folder (including a subfolder)

[0194] (C) Creation of a new contents object

[0195] (D) Removal of a contents object

[0196] (E) Change in the contents of a contents object

[0197] An information collection policy is set in the above way and acondition description XML document, for example, shown in FIG. 15 iscreated and provided to the agent 33. In this example, informationbetween the tag <statement> and the tag </statement> indicates acollection policy. This example is one for collecting all pieces ofinformation, so collection conditions etc. are not set.

[0198] (3) Procedure Used by the Portal Server for CollectingInformation from the Information Disclosing Servers

[0199] After definition information regarding the information disclosingservers and an information collection policy being registered, the agent33 collects information from the information disclosing servers 15through 17 in compliance with registered contents. FIGS. 16 through 18are examples of a process for collecting information from an informationdisclosing server. FIG. 16 is a main flowchart. The following procedurewill be performed in compliance with this flow chart.

[0200] [S20] The portal server reads out information collectionconditions (FIG. 14) from a folder corresponding to an informationdisclosing server from which it tries to collect information and createsa condition description XML document (see FIG. 15).

[0201] [S21] The portal server provides the condition description XMLdocument to the agent 33 and makes a request to collect contents.

[0202] [S22] The agent 33 performs a process for collecting thecontents. This process will be described in detail later with referenceto FIG. 17.

[0203] [S23] The portal server obtains collected additional informationXML documents (see FIG. 12) from the agent 33.

[0204] [S24] The portal server analyzes the additional information XMLdocuments with a general-purpose XML parser and obtains a syntactic treeas analysis results.

[0205] [S25] The portal server judges whether or not the collectioncondition that change information should be collected is imposed. If thecollection condition that change information should be collected isimposed, the portal server proceeds to step S26. If the collectioncondition that change information should be collected is not imposed,the portal server proceeds to step S29.

[0206] [S26] The portal server locates the syntactic tree on a changeinformation list. That is to say, the portal server specifies theappropriate folder.

[0207] [S27] The portal server obtains additional information changedand changes the appropriate contents object.

[0208] [S28] The portal server judges whether there still existsadditional information changed. If there still exists additionalinformation changed, the portal server returns to step S27. If there isno additional information changed, the portal server proceeds to stepS33.

[0209] [S29] The portal server removes a subfolder.

[0210] [S30] The portal server locates the syntactic tree on anattribute information list.

[0211] [S31] The portal server obtains additional information andcreates a contents object.

[0212] [S32] The portal server judges whether there still existsadditional information. If there still exists additional information,the portal server returns to step S31. If there is no additionalinformation, the portal server proceeds to step S33.

[0213] [S33] The portal server judges whether there still exists afolder to be processed. If there still exists a folder to be processed,the portal server returns to step S20. If there is no folder to beprocessed, the portal server terminates the procedure.

[0214] By performing the above procedure, an attribute information XMLdocument is obtained from a predetermined information disclosing serverand, if change information is collected, only contents objectscorresponding to contents changed will be changed. If all pieces ofinformation are collected, all folders are removed and then new contentsobjects are created. In this case, a contents object refers to a folderand attribute information.

[0215] Now, the contents collecting procedure shown in FIG. 16 will bedescribed in detail with reference to FIG. 17. The following procedurewill be performed in compliance with this flow chart.

[0216] [S40] The agent 33 accepts a request from the portal server 13and sends the request to an agent adapter to be searched.

[0217] [S41] The agent adapter performs a process for creating anadditional information XML document. This process will be described indetail later with reference to FIG. 18.

[0218] [S42] The agent 33 judges whether the agent adapter has completeda process for creating an additional information XML document. If theagent adapter has completed a process for creating an additionalinformation XML document, the agent 33 proceeds to step S43. If theagent adapter has not completed a process for creating an additionalinformation XML document, the agent 33 repeats the same process.

[0219] [S43] The agent 33 merges and sorts data in designated orderwhich it collected.

[0220] The above procedure enables the agent 33 to obtain an additionalinformation XML document from an agent adapter and to merge data.

[0221] Now, the contents collecting procedure by an agent adapter shownin FIG. 17 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 18. Thisprocess is performed by an agent adapter. The following procedure willbe performed in compliance with this flow chart.

[0222] [S50] An agent adapter receives a request to send from the agent.

[0223] [S51] The agent adapter obtains a collection condition (see FIG.15).

[0224] [S52] The agent adapter writes header information indicating, forexample, whether there is an error to an additional information XMLdocument, being an output document.

[0225] [S53] The agent adapter reads directory settings from anenvironment setting file which describes environment setting situationsregarding the information disclosing servers.

[0226] [S54] The agent adapter moves to a folder from which it obtainsattribute information.

[0227] [S55] If the agent adapter obtains change information, itproceeds to step S56. If the agent adapter does not obtain changeinformation, it proceeds to step S57.

[0228] [S56] If a file to be obtained was changed after the base timewhen the file should be obtained, the agent adapter proceeds to stepS57. In other cases,the agent adapter proceeds to step S58.

[0229] [S57] The agent adapter writes the contents of the file to theadditional information XML document, being an output document.

[0230] [S58] The agent adapter judges whether there is another file inthe target folder. If there exists another file in the target folder,the agent adapter returns to step S56. If there exists no other file inthe target folder, the agent adapter proceeds to step S59.

[0231] [S59] The agent adapter judges whether there exist other contentsto be collected. If there exist other contents to be collected, theagent adapter returns to step S54. If there exist no other contents tobe collected, the agent adapter proceeds to step S60.

[0232] [S60] The agent adapter writes a footer to the additionalinformation XML document, being an output document.

[0233] [S61] The agent adapter sends the agent the additionalinformation XML document it created.

[0234] The above procedure enables an agent adapter to collect attributeinformation from a predetermined folder according to a collectioncondition and to create an additional information XML document.

[0235] In the procedures shown in FIGS. 16 through 18, the agent 33makes a request to each agent adapter for collection on the basis of acollection policy (see FIG. 14) and an agent adapter creates anadditional information XML document in response to the request forcollection and sends it to the agent. As a result, the portal server 13will create a folder corresponding to the additional information XMLdocument it obtained.

[0236] To give a concrete example, if an information disclosing serverstores the contents shown in FIG. 11, the additional information XMLdocument shown in FIG. 12 is created and sent to the agent. The portalserver 13 which received this information creates a folder, for example,shown in FIG. 19.

[0237] In this example, the folders “Contents” and “Page” exist at thetop layer. The folder “Contents” stores folders or contents (folderobjects) created on the basis of an additional information XML documentobtained from each information disclosing server. In this example, agroup of folders corresponding to FIG. 11 are stored in the folder“Server A.”

[0238] The folder “Page” stores customization information for creating apage on the basis of information stored in the folder “Contents” and thelike. In this example, the folder “Default” storing default informationfor users who do not customize, the folder “Group” for users whocustomize by the group, and the folder “Individual” for users whocustomize by the individual are stored.

[0239] (4) Procedure on the Portal Server for Editing a Page

[0240] Information collected in the above way can be provided to theclient side without being changed and be displayed. However, it isdesirable that the administrator of the portal server 13 should editinformation according to its quality, importance and the like.Furthermore, it is more desirable that each user can set displaycontents or a display method individually. Then various needs can bemet.

[0241] In this embodiment, by using methods described below, theadministrator of the portal server 13 can edit information obtained or auser can customize display contents or a display method.

[0242]FIG. 20 is an example of a screen for editing a folder andcontents. In this example, a window 50 titled “Information Manager” isdisplayed. Buttons 50 a through 50 c operated to reduce, enlarge, andquit the window 50 respectively are displayed at the upper right cornerof the window 50.

[0243] A display area of the window 50 consists of frames 50 d and 50 e.In the frame 50 d, buttons 50 f through 50 n for editing are displayed.In the frame 50 e, a folder and contents to be edited are displayed.

[0244] The Select button 50 f is operated to select a folder or contentsto be edited.

[0245] The New button 50 g is operated to create a folder, contents, ora shortcut.

[0246] The Register Collectively button 50 h is operated to registeredited contents collectively.

[0247] The Expand button 50 i is operated to expand and display foldersor contents which belong to layers lower than a predetermined folder.

[0248] The Property button 50 j is operated to display the property of afolder or contents selected. In this example, the property of the folder“SubA” is displayed in the lower right area of the frame 50 e.

[0249] The Remove button 50 k is operated to remove a folder or contentsselected.

[0250] The Defined Template button 501 is operated to select a definedtemplate as a template for the folder in question.

[0251] The Template Property button 50 m is operated to edit theproperty of a template. When this button is operated, a screen shown inFIG. 21 will appear.

[0252] The Customization Information button 50 n is operated to editinformation for customizing. When this button is operated, a screenshown in FIG. 23 will appear.

[0253] On this screen, the administrator of the portal server 13 canedit a folder or contents to his/her purpose. Basic editing methodsinclude removing, creating, and moving a contents object (folder andcontents) and creating a shortcut.

[0254] When the Template Property button 50 m shown in FIG. 20 isoperated, the screen shown in FIG. 21 will appear.

[0255] In this example, a window 70 titled “Information Manager” isdisplayed. A display area of the window 70 consists of frames 70 dthrough 70 f.

[0256] In the frame 70 d, buttons 70 g through 70 i for, for example,registering edited contents are displayed.

[0257] The Display button 70 g is operated to display a page actually inaccordance with set contents.

[0258] The Register button 70 h is operated to register set contents.

[0259] The Cancel button 70 i is operated to cancel set contents.

[0260] In the frame 70 e, the name of a folder to be edited and the typeof a template are displayed. In this example, the name of a folder to beedited is “Server A/SubA” and the type of a template is “list.” With alist template, contents appear in list form. There is another templateused to display contents by assigning them to a plurality of frames.

[0261] In the frame 70 f, various items for setting are displayed. Thefirst item “Display User Name” is used to designate whether to displaythe name of a user who logged in on a page. In this example, its box ischecked, so a user name will be displayed.

[0262] The next item “Include Subfolders” is used to designate whetherto display folders which belong to layers lower than a target folder.

[0263] The item “Customizable” is used to designate whether to permit auser to customize a page.

[0264] The item “Order Of Display” is used to designate the order inwhich contents are displayed. To be concrete, order designated by theadministrator, order of update time, or order of name can be selected.

[0265] The item “Filter” is used to display contents. Filtering methodscan be broadly divided into two types: filtering by update time, orfiltering by the type of contents. Filtering by update time can bedesignated by entering a predetermined number of days in the appropriatetext box.

[0266] If filtering by the type of contents is designated, “Folder,”“General contents,” “Form access contents,” “Event,” “Applet,”“Parameter object,” or “Shortcut” can be selected.

[0267] By setting predetermined items on the above screen, the contentsof a page displayed can be edited.

[0268]FIG. 22 is a screen displayed when the Display button 70 g isoperated on the screen shown in FIG. 21, and is used to confirm setvalues.

[0269] In this example, a window 80 titled “Internet Browser” isdisplayed. Its display area is divided into frames 80 d and 80 e.

[0270] In the frame 80 d, the title “Link Collection,” hot textscorresponding to the structure of the folders shown in FIG. 20, anddescriptions of the hot texts are displayed.

[0271] In the frame 80 e, the name of a user who logged in and hot textsare displayed. The hot text “Go back” is linked to the original page.The hot text “Top page” is linked to the top page. The hot text“Customize this page” is operated when a user customizes a pagedisplayed.

[0272] When the hot text “Customize this page” on this screen isoperated, a screen shown in FIG. 23 will appear.

[0273] On the screen shown in FIG. 23, a window 90 titled “InternetBrowser” is displayed. Its display area is divided into frames 90 dthrough 90 h.

[0274] In the frame 90 d, the label name “Link Collection” to becustomized and the name of a log-in user are displayed.

[0275] In the frame 90 e, items displayed on a page are listed. In thisexample, Site A1 and Site A2 are selected as display items. A buttonwith a mark of “X” of the three displayed to the left of each item isoperated to change a display item to a non-display item. A button with amark of “ ” to the right of the X button is operated to move up theitem's turn to be displayed. A button with a mark of “ ” to the right ofthe button is operated to move down the item's turn to be displayed.

[0276] In the frame 90 f, non-display items are listed. A button with amark of “◯” displayed to the left of each item is operated to change anon-display item to a display item.

[0277] In the frame 90 g, the Register button operated to register setcontents is displayed.

[0278] Customization by the use of the above screen can be performedonly when the item “Customizable” shown in FIG. 21 is checked.

[0279] By changing or setting each set item from the above screens, theadministrator or a user of the portal server 13 can edit folders,contents, templates, or the like or select or customize information.

[0280] (5) Procedure for Accessing the Portal Server from a Client

[0281] For example, it is assumed that a user logged in the portalserver 13 from the client 10. On a display device of the client 10, ascreen like the one shown in FIG. 24 will be displayed. On this screen,a window 100 titled “Log-in” is displayed. In its display area, a textbox 100 d for entering a user ID and a text box 100 e for entering apassword are displayed. Furthermore, at the lower right corner of thedisplay area, the OK button 100 f operated to log in with contentsentered and the Cancel button 100 g operated to cancel contents enteredare displayed.

[0282] On this screen, a user ID and password are entered and the OKbutton 100 f is operated. Then these pieces of information are sent tothe portal server 13.

[0283] The portal server 13 performs an authentication process on thebasis of the user ID and password in order to judge whether or not theuser who is logging in is a regular one. If he/she is a regular user,then the portal server 13 obtains his/her log-in name.

[0284] If there is an individual folder corresponding to that log-inname, then the portal server 13 obtains a template stored in the folderand executes it. For example, if user “Yamada” logs in, there is anindividual folder corresponding to this user, as shown in FIG. 19. Thena template associated with the folder “Yamada” is obtained and executed.As a result, a unique top page created or edited by user “Yamada” willbe displayed. The process for executing a template will be described indetail later.

[0285] If an individual folder does not exist, the portal server 13judges whether or not a folder corresponding to a group to which theuser who logged in belongs exists. If that folder exists, then atemplate associated with it is obtained and executed. As a result, aunique top page edited or created by the group will appear on a displaydevice before the user who logged in.

[0286] If neither an individual folder nor a group folder exists, atemplate associated with the default folder (see FIG. 19) is obtainedand the default top page will appear.

[0287]FIG. 25 is a flow chart for achieving the above processes. Thefollowing procedure will be performed in compliance with this flowchart.

[0288] [S70] The portal server 13 obtains a user ID and password from aclient which logged in.

[0289] [S71] The portal server 13 obtains the user's log-in name on thebasis of the user ID and password it obtained.

[0290] [S72] The portal server 13 judges whether or not an individualfolder corresponding to the log-in name it obtained exists. If itexists, the portal server 13 proceeds to step S73. If it does not exist,the portal server 13 proceeds to step S74.

[0291] [S73] The portal server 13 obtains an individual templateassociated with the appropriate folder.

[0292] [S74] The portal server 13 judges whether or not a group foldercorresponding to the log-in name it obtained exists. If it exists, theportal server 13 proceeds to step S75. If it does not exist, the portalserver 13 proceeds to step S76.

[0293] A group name is obtained from a log-in ID by the use of a tablein which log-in IDs and group names are associated.

[0294] [S75] The portal server 13 obtains a group template associatedwith the appropriate folder.

[0295] [S76] The portal server 13 obtains the default template stored inthe default folder.

[0296] [S77] The portal server 13 executes a template it obtained.

[0297] [S78] The portal server 13 sends a page created to the clientwhich made a request.

[0298] It is assumed that folders and contents shown in FIG. 26 arestored under the folder “Yamada” shown in FIG. 19 and that user “Yamada”logs in. Then a template stored in the folder “Yamada” is obtained andexecuted. The template executed at this time is one for assigningcontents stored in the subfolders to frames and displaying them. Theprocess for executing a template will be described later with a simpleexample.

[0299]FIG. 27 is an example of a screen displayed on a display devicebefore user “Yamada” as a result of executing a template. In thisexample, a window 110 titled “Internet Browser” is displayed. Itsdisplay area is divided into four frames 110 d through 110 g.

[0300] In the frame 110 d, the name of a user who logged in isdisplayed.

[0301] In the frame 110 e, a table of contents is displayed andselection items are displayed as hot texts.

[0302] In the frame 110 f, events are displayed and hot texts indicatingevents, being temporary information created for a specified user, aredisplayed.

[0303] In the frame 110 g, a text box for entering a search keyword isdisplayed.

[0304] On this display screen, it is assumed that the hot text“4/10/2000 All-companies anticipated profit and loss are decided.” isselected with a pointer 115. Then the client 10 sends the portal server13 a request corresponding to this hot text. In this case, it is assumedthat information corresponding to the hot text selected is stored in thefolder “All-companies” shown in FIG. 19.

[0305] The portal server 13 receives the request and then accesses theURL “http://servername/contents/serverA/all-companies”

[0306] corresponding to the folder “All-companies.” In this case, thetemplate “apl. tmpl” associated with this folder will be obtained andexecuted.

[0307]FIG. 28 shows an example of a template executed at this time. Themeanings of this template are as follows:

[0308] (A) Insert the representation format of an applet object in thisfolder.

[0309] (B) In that case, pass the following as arguments.

[0310] Contents passed by ARG1, and

[0311] URL of the requester's own subfolder

[0312] where ARG1 is an argument passed from the client side. In thiscase, a null character string is passed by ARG1. The display( ) methodreturns a representation format designated in contents information. Therepresentation format of an applet object is the tag <APPLET>. In thisexample, however, the representation format of an applet object isredefined by the object soneki_applet, being its subclass, and it isintended that the URL of a folder given by the argument Child should beused as the value of the parameter of the argument Child. Therefore,executing the template will create a page shown in FIG. 29.

[0313] The page created is sent to the client 10. Then it will beexecuted there and displayed. This applet accesses sales data anddisplays it. It is intended that a URL passed by the argument Childshould be used in the case of displaying a regional name, such as Tokyoor Osaka.

[0314]FIG. 30 is an example of how the page shown in FIG. 29 isdisplayed on a display device for the client 10. In this example, atable titled “All-companies anticipated profit and loss” is displayed inthe frame 110 f.

[0315] On this screen, it is assumed that the hot text “Tokyo” in thetable is designated with the pointer 115. Then the client 10 adds theargument “Tokyo” to the URL and accesses the URL“http://servername/contents/serverA/all-companies/classified-by-region?ARG1=Tokyo.”

[0316] As a result, a template corresponding to the folder“Classified-by-region” will be executed on the portal server 13. Atemplate designated for this folder is “apl. tmpl,” which is the samewith the folder “All-companies.” This template is executed in the sameway that was described above. As a result, a page shown in FIG. 31 willbe created. On this page,an argument name is “Tokyo” and“classified-by-company” is added to the end of a subfolder name.

[0317] This page is sent to the client 10. Then it will be executedthere and a screen shown in FIG. 32 will be displayed. In this example,a table titled “Anticipated profit and loss in Tokyo” is displayed inthe frame 110 f.

[0318] If the hot text “A Company” in the table on this screen isselected with the pointer 115, the client 10 adds the argument “ACompany” to the URL of the argument Child and accesses the URL“http://servername/contents/serverA/all-companies/classified-by-region/classified-by-company?ARG1=Acompany.”

[0319] Then the folder “Classified-by-company” is accessed, the sametemplate that was described above is executed, and a page shown in FIG.33 is created. On this page, “A Company” and a null character string aredesignated as the arguments “company value” and “child value”respectively.

[0320] This page is sent to the client 10. Then a display process isperformed on it there and a screen shown in FIG. 34 is displayed.

[0321] In this example, a table titled “A Company visiting record” isdisplayed in the frame 110 f.

[0322] As described above, in an information processing system accordingto the present invention, additional information indicating theattributes of contents and relations among the contents is obtained frominformation disclosing servers and is stored in a portal server. Thisenables to utilize relations among contents in the case of creating apage. Therefore, compared with cases where only the attributes ofcontents are obtained, a page can be created more quickly.

[0323] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the logicalstructure of contents is mapped to the hierarchical structure offolders. As a result, contents can be edited easily.

[0324] In the above embodiment, templates are associated with foldersand are stored collectively in a predetermined location. However, theycan be stored directly in each of folders.

[0325] The above procedures can be achieved with a computer. In thatcase, the contents of functions which a portal server, client, andinformation disclosing server must have are described in a programrecorded on a record medium which can be read with a computer. The aboveprocedures are achieved with a computer by executing this program on thecomputer. A record medium which can be read with a computer can be amagnetic recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or the like. In orderto place this program on the market, it can be stored on a portablerecord medium, such as a compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) or afloppy disk. Alternatively, it can be stored in a memory of a computerconnected via a network and be transferred to another computer via anetwork. When this program is executed on a computer, it is stored on ahard disk etc. in the computer and is loaded into a main memory.

[0326] As described above, in an information processing systemcomprising an information disclosing server for disclosing contents to aclient, a portal server for obtaining information regarding contentsfrom the information disclosing server and for creating display dataprovided to each client, and a client for obtaining and displayingdisplay data created by the portal server, according to the presentinvention, the information disclosing server comprises contents storingmeans for storing contents to be disclosed and additional informationstoring means for storing additional information indicating therespective attributes of contents to be provided of contents stored inthe contents storing means and relations among the contents to beprovided, the portal server comprises additional information obtainingmeans for obtaining additional information stored in the additionalinformation storing means in the information disclosing server,additional information storage means for storing additional informationobtained by the additional information obtaining means, display datacreating means for obtaining, in the case of a request having been madefrom the client, the appropriate additional information from theadditional information storage means and for creating display data, andsending means for sending display data created by the display datacreating means to the client which made a request, and the clientcomprises send requesting means for requesting the portal server to sendpredetermined display data, receiving means for receiving display datasent from the portal server as a result of a request from the sendrequesting means, and display outputting means for outputting displaydata received by the receiving means. Therefore, a desired page can becreated easily by utilizing contents disclosed by an informationdisclosing server.

[0327] The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the present invention. Further, since numerousmodifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in theart, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact constructionand applications shown and described, and accordingly, all suitablemodifications and equivalents may be regarded as falling within thescope of the invention in the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing system comprising: aninformation disclosing server for disclosing contents; and a portalserver for obtaining information regarding contents from the informationdisclosing server and for creating display data provided to a client,wherein the information disclosing server comprising: contents storingmeans for storing the contents; and additional information storing meansfor storing additional information indicating the respective attributesof contents to be disclosed of contents stored in the contents storingmeans and relations among the contents to be disclosed, further whereinthe portal server comprising: additional information obtaining means forobtaining additional information stored in the additional informationstoring means in the information disclosing server; additionalinformation storage means for storing additional information obtained bythe additional information obtaining means; display data creating meansfor obtaining, in the case of a request having been made from theclient, the appropriate additional information from the additionalinformation storage means and for creating display data; and sendingmeans for sending display data created by the display data creatingmeans to the client which made a request.
 2. The information processingsystem according to claim 1, wherein the additional information storagemeans stores the additional information by creating folders having ahierarchical structure which corresponds to the logical structure of thecontents and by storing the respective attributes of the contents ineach of the folders.
 3. The information processing system according toclaim 2, wherein information for designating a template used to createthe display data is associated with the folders, further wherein thedisplay data creating means creates display data according to anappropriate template.
 4. The information processing system according toclaim 3, wherein the template creates display data according to anargument provided by a client or according to an argument stored in theadditional information storage means.
 5. The information processingsystem according to claim 4, wherein the additional information storagemeans contains a shortcut by which other folders or contents can bereferred to from a predetermined folder.
 6. The information processingsystem according to claim 5, further comprising editing means forediting additional information stored in the additional informationstorage means.
 7. The information processing system according to claim6, further comprising user additional information storage means forstoring additional information according to users, wherein the editingmeans also edits additional information stored in the user additionalinformation storage means, further wherein the display data creatingmeans also creates display data from additional information stored inthe user additional information storage means.
 8. The informationprocessing system according to claim 1, wherein the additionalinformation obtaining means obtains additional information from theinformation disclosing server by a method designated in advance.
 9. Theinformation processing system according to claim 1, further comprisingadditional information creating means for creating additionalinformation from contents stored in the contents storing means.
 10. Aninformation disclosing server for disclosing contents, the servercomprising: contents storing means for storing the contents; andadditional information storing means for storing additional informationindicating the respective attributes of contents to be disclosed ofcontents stored in the contents storing means and relations among thecontents to be disclosed.
 11. A computer-readable record mediumrecording a computer program executed on an information disclosingserver for disclosing contents, the program comprising the functions of:contents storing means for storing the contents; and additionalinformation storing means for storing additional information indicatingthe respective attributes of contents to be disclosed of contents storedin the contents storing means and relations among the contents to bedisclosed.
 12. A portal server for obtaining information regardingcontents from an information disclosing server for disclosing contentsand for creating display data provided to a client, the portal servercomprising: additional information obtaining means for obtainingadditional information stored in the additional information storingmeans in the information disclosing server; additional informationstorage means for storing additional information obtained by theadditional information obtaining means; display data creating means forobtaining, in the case of a request having been made from the client,the appropriate additional information from the additional informationstorage means and for creating display data; and sending means forsending display data created by the display data creating means to theclient which made a request.
 13. A computer-readable record mediumrecording a computer program executed on a portal server for obtaininginformation regarding contents from an information disclosing server fordisclosing contents to a client and for creating display data providedto each client, the program comprising the functions of: additionalinformation obtaining means for obtaining additional information storedin the additional information storing means in the informationdisclosing server; additional information storage means for storingadditional information obtained by the additional information obtainingmeans; display data creating means for obtaining, in the case of arequest having been made from the client, the appropriate additionalinformation from the additional information storage means and forcreating display data; and sending means for sending display datacreated by the display data creating means to the client which made arequest.